Perceived Stress, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Frontline Healthcare Workers Working in COVID-19 Level 2 Hospital

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had the potential to significantly affect the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs), who stood on the frontline of this crisis. The study determines the level of perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and stress among healthcare workers during the first phase of COVID-19.Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was done among the healthcare workers (Non-PG Junior residents, interns, and nursing staff) working in the COVID level-2 hospital from May 10, 2020, to July 30, 2020. DASS-21 scale was used to determine the level of depression, anxiety, stress, and perceived stress was measured by the perceived stress scale (PSS). The statistical analysis was done with GraphPad instat version 3.06. The scores of DASS and PSS were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test.Results: It was seen that overall prevalence of depression was 36.84% among all the groups of HCW with 10.6% having mild and 16.20% having moderate depression. The prevalence of anxiety and stress in participants was 39.8 and 41.73%, respectively. The prevalence of perceived stress level was found to be 86% with the majority (64.80%) having mild perceived stress level. No significant difference was observed among the different HCW groups regarding stress, anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. It was observed that participants having high perceived stress levels were more depressed (p < 0.0001), more anxious (p < 0.0001) and more stressed (p < 0.0001).Conclusion: HCWs experienced stress, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. HCWs with higher perceived stress were more depressed, anxious, and more stressed.